Use of the Myers-Briggs type indicator in an undergraduate microelectronics course

This paper presents the results of five years of administering the Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) to electrical engineering students in a junior level course at Virginia Commonwealth University. The goal was to promote student awareness of the diversity of personality types and at the same time challenge them to use this knowledge in a team design project. This evaluation process and lecture on the MBTI was done with industrial support and is a good example of University Industry cooperation. The results presented are similar to previously reported type distributions for engineering students but it is the use of the type information for team formation that is unique. A summary of anecdotal findings is given to indicate how this effort has been useful beyond the numerical findings.